The Dream Groove: Dizgo

Childhood friends whose life mission is making fun and funky tunes.
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Photo courtesy Bryson Sheriff

ANDREW PICKEL AND Kevin Hinnefeld started their music career together in middle school with nothing but two guitars and a tape recorder in Hinnefeld’s attic. “That was the spark that started everything,” Pickel says. They named their high school band Elephant Quiz and performed at house parties while attending Indiana University Bloomington.

In 2015, they started Dizgo, with Hinnefeld on bass and keys and Pickel on guitar. Bandmates Justin Clark (on drums) and Jake Evatt (on keys) joined over time. The name Dizgo originates from a dream Hinnefeld had before their first show at Bluebird in Bloomington in 2016. “It was a me-in-the-future type of dream, and the band name was Dizgo,” Hinnefeld recalls.

As the band broadens their geographical reach through touring, they are also working on refining their sound to create catchy, “stuck in your head” songs. Their current style can be described as “disco-funk party music,” but their previous “jamtronica” studio albums are available on Spotify and Apple Music, and recordings of their live performances can be streamed on Bandcamp and Nugs.net. The band is currently on tour following the February release of their album, Melt.